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James Hiller
James Hiller is a fourteen-year-old American boy and one of the main protagonists of Liberty's Kids. He is an apprentice journalist to Dr. Benjamin Franklin and wants to be a 'full-fledged' journalist one day, and his quest for stories often lead him into trouble. James is also an ardent patriot and an orphan who grew up on the streets. Personality At the beginning of the series, James is hotheaded and impatient for war to come, believing it is the best and only way to solve the problems between the British people and Americans. He doesn't always understand the difference between patriotism and mob rule and sometimes goes along with the crowd if it is what he thinks is 'patriotic' even if he is wrong. Throughout the series, as he learns the consequences of war and mob mentality, he grows to understand and distinguish between the two better. However, he still continues to be quick to fight and attack. He is outspoken, even to people he admires, and does not hesitate to give his opinion, and often speaks without thinking. James loves to write and thinks of himself as a journalist (though Moses is quick to correct him; he is only an apprentice journalist) but often classifies all Loyalists, or 'Tories' as oppressive, tyrannical, stupid, or all three, glorifying the side of the colonists. In the same way, James is not very tolerant of Loyalists and does not like to be around them. Sarah Phillips, who he makes friends with, is the exception. James values his friends and worries for their safety. He likes to poke fun at Henri and bicker with Sarah. Oftentimes his problem at the beginning of the series was that he took the idea of war and fighting too lightly, not knowing enough to take it more seriously. Usually, he automatically likes anyone who is a patriot like himself; it takes a lot for him to see past the titles of 'loyalist' and 'patriot' to get to know a person with an open mind. James also dislikes formal manners and does not know them, much to Sarah's embarrassment. Relationships/Family Sarah Phillips: Sarah is one of James' best friends, even though she is a loyalist. They usually argue, politics often playing a part in the fight, but both truly care for each other. The two show concern for one another when in dangerous situations and help one another or work together to help Henri. When Sarah loses the locket her father gave her before he left on his campaign, he offers his mother's ring to make a replacement one; however he does not want her to know what his part in the gift was, hiding his hands behind his back when Sarah asks where they got the gold to make the locket. Sarah is one of the only loyalists that James respects. Romantic feelings between the two have been hinted at. Henri Lefebvre: Henri is James' other best friend. He is younger than James and Sarah, but they treat him as an equal. Henri does not particularly look up to James, treating him as a fellow child rather than someone to be obeyed, and the two are like brothers and enjoy teasing one another. Henri and James have several things in common: they are both patriots, both enjoy being in and working in the print shop, and both are orphans. When James in later episodes becomes more mature while facing the relatives of war, Henri's relationship changes with him; he slowly starts treating James more like an older brother or other authoritative (after remarking that he was talking 'like a grownup' in one episode) and less like a playmate. Henri often comes to James when he wants to do something he knows Moses, Sarah, or Dr. Franklin wouldn't approve of. Moses: Like Sarah and Henri, James looks up to Moses and respects him. Because James is often rash and immature in his decisions regarding the colonies and War, Moses often corrects him or educates him on what is honestly going on (as opposed to the one side of the story that James wants to believe.) Sometimes, such as when a loyalist man was tarred and feathered and James laughed about it, saying that it was patriotic because the men who were committing the act were patriots and shouting patriotic slogans, Moses gets him to understand how such acts are neither patriotic nor morally correct by taking him to visit the man after his tarring and feathering. When the reality of the man's situation sinks in, James cries and Moses comforts him. Additionally, Moses helps James organize his thoughts and write stories based on the facts only and not just his opinion. Benjamin Franklin: Benjamin Franklin is admired by James very much. When James was old enough to become an apprentice he was taken in by Dr. Franklin. James wants to become a printer like Dr. Franklin and admires his different inventions, especially the lightning rod, the whole reason he heard about Dr. Franklin in the first place. Like Moses, Dr. Franklin attempts to show James the difference between patriotism and mob rule. He is unafraid to discipline James when he sets a rule James doesn't follow, but James usually doesn't protest too much if he has been caught. He publishes James' articles in prominent spots in the 'Gazette', such as the front page. Mr. and Mrs. Hiller: James's parents are never seen in the series because he never knew them; they died when he was a baby. James says that his house could not afford a lightning rod (an invention of Dr. Franklin) and when lightning struck his parents' house, it caught fire. James was rescued by a neighbor; his parents died in the fire, all that was left of their possessions was a ring of his mothers, which he would later use to make Sarah's locket. James raised himself on the streets until he was old enough to become an apprentice with Dr. Franklin. Sybil Luddington: James meets Sybil Luddington when he goes to intervene her father for the Gazette. Although they disagree on some things (Sybil believes that all men should join the patriot army while James believes he can help the war effort by reporting the truth) they end up friends by the time James has to leave. They are both voracious patriots and prefer action to words. Appearance James has a light Caucasian complexion, blue eyes, and blond hair he wears pulled back in an unbraided queue which is a black-grey scrunchy. He wears a white shirt, green vest with yellow buttons and pocket flats, dark green breeches, white stockings, and brown shoes with buckles. He also has a brown coat and for the first few episodes, he wore a gold ring on his hand. Category:Patriots